Three seasons ago, Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield watched from the sidelines as Houston Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud led his team on a drive that eventually ended the game.
Stroud found fellow rookie wide receiver Tank Dell for the game-winning touchdown with six seconds left on the clock as Houston won by a score of 39-37.
On Monday night, Mayfield got his revenge with an 11-play, 80-yard game-winning drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by running back Rachaad White, ironically with six seconds remaining on the clock, giving Tampa Bay a 20-19 victory.
“We expected a hard-fought battle, and it’s nice to be on the right side of it,” said Mayfield in his postgame press conference.
He also added that their offense was prepared for the moment, and they were never nervous on that final drive.
“Coming into the two-minute situation, something that we drill all the time and just relying on our guys to be able to make plays and do the little things right,” said Mayfield.
Houston experienced heartbreak for the second consecutive week. In their season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, the Texans suffered a fumble by reserve running back Dare Ogunbowale late in the game inside the red zone.
Against the Buccaneers, their defense had a chance to seal the game but came up short, allowing Mayfield to use his running ability to escape the pocket on fourth and 10 from the Tampa Bay 32-yard line for a 15-yard gain, keeping the drive alive.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield found ways to escape the Texans defense for most of the game. Phot Credit - @TroyTaormina - Imagn Images“It is tough,” said Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair. “As a competitor and a defender, you want the opportunity to close the game out. So it is tough. We knew they were a good team; we talked about it earlier in the week about Baker Mayfield.
“That whole team has that same grit and same mindset. It was a fourth-quarter game all the way through, a heavyweight fight back and forth. So, for us not to be able to close out at the end on defense is tough.”
Although the defense will be questioned about why they couldn’t get the Buccaneers’ offense off the field during such a crucial time, some may speculate on why they were put in that situation with all the opportunities the offense had to seal the game and failed, especially early in the fourth quarter.
After Stroud found tight end Dalton Shultz for a 16-yard gain on third and 11 to get the Texans inside the Tampa Bay 10-yard line, Houston’s offense stalled and failed to score for three plays from the one-yard line, turning the ball over on downs.
“We just didn’t get the ball in the end zone,” said a frustrated Stroud after the game about failing to convert from the goal line. “That’s kind of plain, kind of simple. We just didn’t get the ball in the end zone. That’s all I can really think of.”